Growing up on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, Brendan was surrounded by great food and restaurants. He started as a kitchen hand and quickly developed a passion for learning from the chefs around him. After moving to New Zealand with his family, he decided to use his knowledge of protein to help customers choose the perfect cuts for their venues and is sharing that with us...
What led you to become a meat expert?
I grew up on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, so was blessed to be around an abundance of great quality food and restaurants. This enabled me to be able to move around and learn from many great chefs.
My love for food began in high school. I chose hospitality as a subject as I had picked up a job as a kitchenhand at a local beach restaurant. From the moment I set foot in that kitchen and watched the chefs cooking I was hooked. I continued to wash dishes and go to school until one of the leading chefs got a job at a new venue and offered me an apprenticeship.
I worked at a couple of different places learning my craft, and in the last year of my apprenticeship I landed the role of head chef at a bar and grill. After a few years working in different resorts, motels and restaurants, I moved to New Zealand with my wife and two children and worked at a couple of different places before Covid hit and I decided it was time to hang up the apron and try something new.
I wanted to get into food service as I felt my skillset was perfectly suited to help others in the industry. One chef I worked with previously had made the move to Bidfood, and he and a sales rep I had worked with put in a good word for me to the boss – and the rest is history!
What do you enjoy about working for Bidfood?
Everything! Learning how the other side of hospitality works is so interesting and has driven me to want to excel, grow and learn in all aspects of food service.
Seeing what customers are doing with their menus and establishments has been amazing, and I personally find helping customers source great-quality products and educating them on different cuts and options very rewarding.
What should restaurants look for when selecting steak cuts?
When helping customers decide what cuts are best suited for them, my main considerations are tenderness, colour, flavour and the marbling (intramuscular fat) of the meat.
For people looking for a nice lean, low fat cut I would suggest beef tenderloin. It has minimal intramuscular fat but is still extremely tender as it is from a muscle that is hardly used, thus delivering a delicious, tender tasty steak.
If a customer is focused on flavour profile, I would suggest ribeye or sirloin. Ribeye has lots of marbling and a nice round of fat in the centre which makes this the most flavourful cut in my opinion and is also very tender. And as we all know, fat is flavour!
Sirloin is a little different, as this cut has a generous fat cap on the outside and some marbling within the meat, making it a cut that delivers great texture and flavour combined.
My personal favourite is OP ribeye. Not a cut for the faint-hearted, this ribeye steak has the rib bone still attached which, when cooked, adds extra flavour to the steak.
What is the best way to prepare steak?
Select a high-quality steak at least 2-3cm thick, bring it to room temperature and let sit for 10-15 mins minimum.
Season well with sea salt flakes and cracked black pepper and your choice of other flavours.
A little drizzle of cooking oil and you’re ready to cook your steak.
Make sure whatever you’re going to cook your steak on is HOT! This will ensure a good sear and seal in all the juices and flavour.
What are the basics to cooking the perfect steak?
Perfection can be achieved by mastering a few basics.
Choose the right steak, quality, cut and thickness.
Prepare the steak, room temp, seasoning, oil.
Sear the steak on a very hot surface.
Only turn the steak once! This ensures you lock in all the juices & flavour.
Cook both sides for the same amount of time to ensure even cooking.
Once you achieve your required degree of doneness (med rare is the best for beef in my opinion) remove steak from the heat and rest for 5-10 mins to redistribute the juices and let the steak relax.
What is an underrated steak cut?
Flank steak is a lean, flavourful cut from the steer’s abdominal area. It's very popular in South America, where it's often marinated in herbs and spices, cooked hard and fast over high heat, sliced thinly across the grain and used in dishes like fajitas, stir fries and tacos.
Is there a cool trick/secret about steak some might not know about?
Butter! That glorious block of gold will elevate your steaks to the next level every time and you can flavour your butter with whatever you like to add an extra touch of flair.
Add a knock of butter to your pan towards the end of cooking and baste the steak in the juices.
When serving the finished product, add a round of butter to the steak and let it melt over the top.
What is your favourite way to have steak?
Reverse seared in a smoker and finished over hot coals. Reverse searing is a technique where you cook a steak at low temperature until it reaches its desired degree of doneness and then finish by searing the steak over high heat to achieve a flavourful crust. It’s an amazing way to serve steak.
